Children should respect their elders

Friday, May 16, 2014

Elder Ernie L Cooper Sr. of Andrews and pastor of Greater St Luke Holiness Church, Choppee as well as a student at Williamsburg Technical College has been inducted as a new member of Williamsburg Tech Alpha Sigma Gamma chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) International Honor Society.

“The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.”

Joel 3:15

Hopefully you have had a wonderful week celebrating Mother’s Day, and enjoying all other activities. The weather was wonderful as we enjoyed one beautiful day after another.

It finally seems as if we have settled into spring. On the other hand, if your week was beset by trials and tribulations, or if sickness dominated your physical being, or if you grieved for the loss of a precious loved one; then God wants you to know that He is still in charge, and he wants to be the center of your joy.

Let us give ourselves away in prayers for each other.

We’d like to thank the women of Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church in the Bloomingvale community of Andrews, for the fine Mother’s Day program on Sunday, April 11. Sister Betty Seward Sanders was in charge of the program that also celebrated the 100th year of Mother’s Day being legally observed.

Others on program were Sisters: Joyce Nesmith, Elease White, Novil Seward, Tiffany Jackson, Leila Hooks, Myra Wiggins, Rosa McCullough, Sadie McCray, Wanda Darby, Mary Ervin White, Silverteen Mitchum, Angiel Grayson, along with Licentiates Jackie Darby and Benjamin Sanders. Mrs. Janet Grayson was chosen as mother of the year. The men of the church cooked and served a delicious dinner complete with desserts and assorted drinks. Rev. Herman Ford, Jr., is the pastor.

Now that Mother’s Day is passed, and Father’s Day will be coming the third Sunday in June, then we must remember, Children’s Day.

In August 1925, some 54 representatives from different countries gathered together in Geneva, Switzerland to convene the first “World Conference for the Well being of Children”, during which the Geneva Declaration Protecting Children” was passed.

The proclamation made a strong appeal for the spiritual needs of children, relief for children in poverty, prevention of child labor, resisting the way that children are educated and other issues related to the welfare of children around the world.

After the conference, various governments around the world designated a different day, different in each country, as Children’s Day to encourage and bring joy to children as well as draw the attention of society to children’s issues.

Universal Children’s Day is on Nov. 20. It was first proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1954, to encourage all countries to institute a day, firstly tp promote mutual exchange and understanding among children and secondly to initiate action to benefit and promote the welfare of the world’s children. The Methodist Episcopal Church in 1868, designated the second Sunday in June as Children’s Day in the United States; however, there is no set legal day for the occasion.

One generation in society has become known as “Generation X” It is said that they don’t know who they are, or where they are going. In 1962, prayer was taken out of the public schools.

Bible reading was banned, and it was no longer permissible to cite the foundational principles of goodness outlined in the Ten Commandments, or the Beatitudes or the Psalms.

Our children have missed out on all of these foundational stones that were prepared for them. Presently almost 50 percent of American children live in homes without their biological father, which means that is 23 million kids.

Fatherless children are nine times more likely to become school dropouts. They are three times more likely to use drugs, and two and a half times more likely to become unwed mothers. Another 70 percent will become hard-core criminals. (Taken from Faith is Action.)

So, as we have just celebrated Mother’s Day, and are preparing to celebrate Father’s Day in June, let’s not forget about how much the children need us in these days and times.

Let us pray specifically for all of our children.

I remember when I was growing up in the North Santee area, we mostly got where we were going by good old walking. We walked to school, to church, to the store(s), to a friend’s house, etc. In order to do this walking we had to pass various residencies.

It was during a time that almost everyone knew everyone else. Our best behavior had to be on at all times. We could never pass a home without acknowledging the adult or adults that lived in the home, especially if they were sitting on the porch. If it were morning then we would say, “good morning,” or evening, we would have to say. “good evening.” Most times we would have to call their names if we knew it. They in turn would greet us in good spirits, and sometimes would ask, “Who boy you”, or “who gal you” if we failed to acknowledge our elders, we were punished, and rightfully so.

My grandmother used to say, “respect is due to a dog.” We need to take our children back to the days of respecting their elders. There are still a few that will wave as they pass, or even greet you aloud.

I hold them in high esteem. They seem to know where they are going. The children need to know that manners and respect will cause them to soar high.

Children’s Day is a day to highlight the dignity of children and their need for love, care, and respect, and to instill in the children a sense of independence and pride. Remember to set aside a day for the children.

Don’t forget to pray for the sick and shut in, the bereaved, those in nursing homes and hospitals, our children and their school grades, their attitudes, their provision, our teachers and principals, all school staff, the elderly, and store merchants, our construction workers, our policemen, drunk drivers on the highway, and for each other.

May God bless you, and please have a wonderful week until we meet again.

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